Join us February 20 for our next Wired Wednesday luncheon at the Wingate Inn Hotel from Noon until 1:30PM. Our speaker will be Colonel Dewey G. Ford with JIEDDO (Joint Improvised Explosive Devices Defeat Organization). JIEDDO is looking for companies and individuals that can contribute to their mission.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are a significant threat to U.S. forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are the primary source of U.S. casualties. The Joint IED Defeat Organization, together with the Military Services and all of the Department of Defense, is working to win the IED fight in a holistic way, using a balance of intelligence, training and technology. This counter-IED effort is a combined Joint Service, interagency, multi-national program designed to leverage all available resources and technologies in a coordinated campaign to eliminate IEDs as weapons of strategic influence. The enemy is adaptive, innovative and flexible and, unfortunately, there is no 'silver bullet' to defeating IEDs.

The cost is $10 for Tech Council Members and $15 for non-members. RSVP's are requested to rsvp@region2000.org or by calling (434) 847-1447.

Mark your calendars now for this year's Technology Council Awards Banquet to be held May 20th at the Kirkley Hotel.

Nominations are now open for our three award categories:

The Robots are Racing! Join our very own Team 600 from E.C. Glass High School as they compete against 60 other teams in the NASA/VCU Regional FIRST Robotics competition at the VCU Siegel Center in Richmond on March 7 & 8. The competitions are free and open to the public.

The ASME Student Professional Development Conference will be held at Sweet Briar Conference Center, March 28-30. Many student leaders are seeking jobs and summer internships. We encourage interested businesses to set up a table at the career fair from 3 to 5 PM on Saturday. You may talk with students and distribute information about your company. There is no charge. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to tscott@sbc.edu if you would like to participate.

Mark your calendars for our Spring Wired Wednesday luncheon on April 16, 2008 at the Wingate Inn. A representative from the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer will talk about how local companies can work with the FLC-MAR. The FLC is the nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides the forum to develop strategies and opportunities for linking the laboratory mission technologies and expertise with the marketplace. The mission of the FLC is to add value to the federal agencies, laboratories and their partners to accomplish the rapid integration of research and development resources within the mainstream of the U.S. economy. Use the FLC as a gateway to more than 700 major federal laboratories and centers and their parent departments and agencies.